CWA experience

[A room is set up in the typical interview style often seen on TV; two chairs facing each other and a small table between them for drinks. One chair is currently occupied, CWA’s interviewer Casey Johnson sitting waiting, dressed in jeans and an Alex Shelley T-shirt. He brushes a hand through his blonde hair and looks towards the camera with a smile.]

Casey: So here we are, for what will either be a one off thing or the start of a series of interviews, depending on how much interest it gets. I’m going to be asking CWA stars about their first moments within the business and how it compares to where they are now. Now, I could have started with the obvious choice and asked someone like Alex or a friend of his like Dante; but I wanted someone who’s been here since day one, someone I know won’t give potentially biased opinions because I’m their friend. …So I’ve decided to ask Sheamus.

[Cut to Sheamus, who walks over and sits opposite Casey, who then waves a hand in greeting]

Casey: Sheamus, you’ve been with the CWA since it first opened, what was it like the first night you were here?

Sheamus: Oh, it was somethin’ else. The environment was …very different from the WWE. While a bunch of us had just come from there, there was also a few of ‘em who’d just… sprung up from nowhere really. They’d come from places like the Ring of Honor Wrestling or the Women’s Shimmer promotion. We even had one come down from the UFC of all places. [He chuckles] My personal experience with that one’s a story in itself. Ah- The environment… Well we were basically all just chucked in the locker room one the first night and left to work things out ourselves from there. [He shrugs his shoulders] I dunno about the others, but I certainly had no idea who else had signed up fer the CWA. I thought maybe I was the only one who’d left the other place for it. That lasted about three seconds. We had Kane, we had Christian; Wade Barrett, John Morrison… [He pauses for a moment, as if he’s still in disbelief] We…We somehow managed to get John Cena himself and on top’a that, Shawn Michaels came outta retirement to help make sure the business, as he put it, didn’t ‘go to hell’. So we had these big names like Cena an’ HBK, then we had a few stars who’d maybe never even been in a ring on television before; yet they seemed to think they were just as good as the rest of us; maybe even better. It was …nuts.

Casey: Well I think my memories of it might be a bit different… I’d say ‘nuts’ is a bit of an understatement. [He pauses for a moment] Was it like, for you, being part of that first show?

Sheamus:[He stares off-screen for a moment as he recalls his memories of the first show] I was part of that first show, which is a pretty great thing ta be able to say, but only two of us can say we were part of the very first match the CWA had too. [He smiles] I was lucky enough to have that honour, against Christian; who’s almost a big of a legend as the Heart Break Kid himself is and I was even luckier to manage to beat such a wrestlin’ legend. I had another match later on too, against Wade, but he got the better of me on that one.

Casey:[Nods] What the fans saw on the show was just the tip of the iceberg of what was going on when we started. I’m sure we all have our own stories about what went on backstage; I know I sure do. I’ve heard a bit about your own experience Sheamus, but for those who haven’t, like the fans: what was your first experience backstage in the CWA like?

Sheamus:[Cringes at the memory before shaking his head and laughing] Well the word ‘painful’ definitely comes ta mind. Those few stars who were unknowns- well one of ‘em was Nolee Lacroix. [He smiles sheepishly] She’s since told me we’d actually met before in the WWE a few years back, but I certainly didn’t remember it. I kinda wish I did. While I can’t remember exactly how we got into the conversation, I do remember that she got in my face after I questioned whether or not she shoulda been in the ring or not… I haven’t asked that question again since then. We ended up arguin’ and well… [He pulls a face] I earned myself a kick in- uh- a place where men just really shouldn’t be kicked.

[The two both laugh, Sheamus obviously not bitter about the experience at all, instead finding it funny. They take a moment to calm down before the interview continues.]

Casey: That’s definitely one of the weirder ways to ‘meet’ someone, yet you’re married now anyway. [He smiles] So how’s that experience compared to your current position in the CWA? Is it any different?

Sheamus: It is; it is. [He smiles and nods] Definitely not the way I usually meet someone. [He laughs] Hmm… I still love the company, obviously. I think though that since getting married I’ve maybe slowed down a bit, without meaning too- I mean I used to go ‘round just kickin’ anyone who pissed me off or got in my way, I don’t do that so much anymore. I’m not fuelled by the frustration over the WWE, or from dealing with guys like Lucas and Jack Swagger so I’m not quite as uh…aggressive as I was when we started. I have mixed feelings about that I guess; I actually won more when I ran on the frustration, but physically, it’s less draining to fight without it.

Casey: I bet it would be. [He pauses for a moment before continuing] One last question …do you miss the WWE at all?

[Not expecting the question, Sheamus is silent at first, thinking carefully before he responds.]

Sheamus:[He brushes a hand through his hair] Uh… Yeh know what? I don’t think I do. Maybe certain parts of it, mostly those I got along with who didn’t also find themselves in the CWA and the fact that they have the separate NXT fer rookies, meaning less overconfidence from them, but otherwise: No, I don’t.

Casey: Right. [He nods] Well, thanks for doing this Sheamus.

Sheamus:[Shrugs his shoulders] No problem.

[The two stand and shake hands as the interview ends, the scene fading to black.]